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Author Topic:   Bad Luck Items on your Boat
sitotis posted 10-22-2008 03:34 PM ET (US)   Profile for sitotis   Send Email to sitotis  
I have read that bananas are well-known to be bad luck to bring on a boat. Many people seem to have a strict no-banana-on-board policy. Does anyone have an explanation about this fear of bananas?

Are there any other superstitious "oh no, not on my boat" items you do not allow on board for superstitious reasons?

Ritzyrags posted 10-22-2008 04:54 PM ET (US)     Profile for Ritzyrags  Send Email to Ritzyrags     
Well actually my banana hull is naturally immune to that kind of curse. The reason being self evident.
One thing though I will not ever let anyone open a can of evaporated milk upside down on my boat as it is sure to attract bad luck.
So you coffee sippers out there Beware!
btb posted 10-22-2008 06:47 PM ET (US)     Profile for btb  Send Email to btb     
My understanding based purely on hearsay is that either a) the banana question relates to fishing - its bad luck to bring bananas in any form on a boat which will engage in fishing - this stems from Hawaii, or b) in some big deal fishing competition, someone tied a hand of bananas out of sight on a competitors boat - the perpetrator scored big fish, whereas the boat with the unseen bananas caught nothing.

Maybe one story came before the other - who knows.

L H G posted 10-22-2008 07:02 PM ET (US)     Profile for L H G    
Someone slapped an "Obama for President" bumper sticker on my moored Boston Whaler Outrage's windshield a week ago, knowing I was a Republican. An hour later it sunk.

Talk about bad luck.

chopbuster posted 10-22-2008 08:10 PM ET (US)     Profile for chopbuster    
How did you know, they knew, you're one of those ?

You don't have "campaign for naught" stickers on your
Whaler, do you ? Too bad Joe the plumber wasn't available.

Relax....I get the levity.

tomol posted 10-22-2008 08:15 PM ET (US)     Profile for tomol  Send Email to tomol     
As I understand it, the no bananas thing started long before sportfishing existed. Boats avoided taking bananas as stores because of the banana spider, which is reputed to be as aggressive as it is venomous.
newt posted 10-22-2008 09:52 PM ET (US)     Profile for newt  Send Email to newt     
The banana curse is real. Unless of course you are from Casco Bay in Maine where bananas are not only good luck, but also good nutrition.
Casco Bay Outrage posted 10-22-2008 09:54 PM ET (US)     Profile for Casco Bay Outrage  Send Email to Casco Bay Outrage     
Oh there it is. I have just been waiting for this to come.

Bring it on. I don't fish. So there!

(raspberry !!!!)

Mumbo Jumbo posted 10-22-2008 10:30 PM ET (US)     Profile for Mumbo Jumbo  Send Email to Mumbo Jumbo     
Skanks
Ridge Runner posted 10-23-2008 09:29 AM ET (US)     Profile for Ridge Runner  Send Email to Ridge Runner     
"The Evils of the Banana

Bananas are a mainstay of most cultures and are the world’s most popular fruit. However, these deliciously yellow treats have no place at sea. Since the 1700’s, it has been widely believed that having a banana on board was an omen of disaster.

In the early 1700’s, during the height of the Spanish’s South Atlantic and Caribbean trading empire, it was observed that nearly every ship that disappeared at sea and did not make its destination was carrying a cargo of bananas. This gave rise to the belief that hauling bananas was a dangerous prospect. There are other documented origins to this superstition as well.

Another explanation for the banana superstition is that the fastest sailing ships used to carry bananas from the tropics to U.S. ports along the East Coast to land the bananas before they could spoil,” Chahoc said. “The banana boats were so fast that fishermen never caught anything while trolling for fish from them, and that’s where the superstition got started.

Another theory is that bananas carried aboard slave ships fermented and gave off methane gas, which would be trapped below deck. Anyone in the hold, including cargoes of imprisoned humanity, would succumb to the poisoned air, and anyone trying to climb down into the hold to help them would fall prey to the dangerous gas.

And finally, one of the better known dangers of bananas at sea, is that a species of spider with a lethal bite likes to hide in bunches of bananas. Crewmen suddenly dying of spider bites after bananas are brought aboard certainly would be considered a bad omen resulting in the cargo being tossed into the sea.

Any of these scenarios could be the reason behind fishermen’s mistrust of the yellow fruit, possibly all of them. Whatever the case may be, it is best that you don’t attempt to bring any bananas on board your next seafaring excursion, just to be safe." - Superstition at Sea


Tohsgib posted 10-23-2008 11:50 AM ET (US)     Profile for Tohsgib  Send Email to Tohsgib     
I found over the years that Mercury outboards have been back luck when onboard my boats.

Just for you Larry ; )

elaelap posted 10-23-2008 12:26 PM ET (US)     Profile for elaelap  Send Email to elaelap     
Here's my pal George, for whom I've deckhanded over 200 times during the past 20 years, munching away during a crabbin' trip in 'Sandy Ann.'
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/Bananacrabbin005-1.jpg

We got limits that day, nobody went overboard, no spider bites, the boat didn't sink or catch fire, so maybe the banana demon was at work somewhere else.

Tony

swist posted 10-23-2008 12:37 PM ET (US)     Profile for swist  Send Email to swist     
Traditionally, a woman on board a boat was a harbinger of bad luck (along with a zillion other things in days of yore).

But I will note that most or all of the relatively few serious problems I have had in 30 years while underway (hitting things, engine failure, etc) happened when I had women on board, which I am guessing is about 15% of the time.

A coincidence obviously, but makes for amusing conversation.

L H G posted 10-23-2008 01:49 PM ET (US)     Profile for L H G    
Good one, Nick. Need more of that around here lately.
elaelap posted 10-23-2008 02:25 PM ET (US)     Profile for elaelap  Send Email to elaelap     
Yikes, swist, you're braver than I. If I ever referred to a woman as an "item" around my house, my wife and daughter would take turns kickin' me right in my items...figuratively of course.

Tony

Mumbo Jumbo posted 10-23-2008 05:08 PM ET (US)     Profile for Mumbo Jumbo  Send Email to Mumbo Jumbo     
After reading all the posts –and taking a great deal of time to reflect on this compelling topic, I am of the opinion that skanks with bananas will result in the ultimate bad luck. And, unfortunately, a Whaler will not shield you from a horrible end if you recklessly choose to tempt fate. Just say no to skanks with bannanas. Yes you can.
pglein posted 10-24-2008 06:23 PM ET (US)     Profile for pglein  Send Email to pglein     
Bananas and women
Ridge Runner posted 10-25-2008 12:53 AM ET (US)     Profile for Ridge Runner  Send Email to Ridge Runner     
"A Woman on Board is Bad Luck

It would be most beneficial to start with probably the most popular superstition. Almost any fisherman will tell you that having a woman on board the ship makes the seas angry and is an omen of bad luck for everyone aboard.

It was traditionally believed that women were not as physically or emotionally capable as men. Therefore, they had no place at sea. It was also observed that when women were aboard, men were prone to distraction or other vices that may take away from their duties. This, among other things, would anger the seas and doom the ship.

Interestingly enough, there is a way to counter this effect. While having a woman on board would anger the sea, having a “naked” woman on board would calm the sea. Imagine that. This is why many vessels have a figure of a woman on the bow of the ship, this figure almost always being bare-breasted. It was believed that a woman’s bare breasts would “shame” the stormy seas into calm. Alas, the ancient power of female nudity." - Superstition at Sea

Tohsgib posted 10-27-2008 10:39 AM ET (US)     Profile for Tohsgib  Send Email to Tohsgib     
So naked skanks with bananas on a boat powered by Mercury is the winner!
pglein posted 10-27-2008 11:36 AM ET (US)     Profile for pglein  Send Email to pglein     
Although I'm not one to ignore superstition, I've long found that having a woman on my boat greatly icreases my chances of getting lucky.
contender posted 10-27-2008 07:54 PM ET (US)     Profile for contender  Send Email to contender     
Ex wife, anything else I can handle
roloaddict posted 10-28-2008 12:17 AM ET (US)     Profile for roloaddict  Send Email to roloaddict     
My fishing buddy advises that a 110 lb Halibut, a 357 Magnum and half a bottle of Jack Daniels were a bad combination on the boat he used to have.
kamie posted 10-28-2008 07:01 PM ET (US)     Profile for kamie  Send Email to kamie     
"A Woman on Board is Bad Luck"

This doesn't seem to be a problem aboard my boat.

mateobosch posted 10-29-2008 01:26 PM ET (US)     Profile for mateobosch  Send Email to mateobosch     
I have found my boat to actually give me good luck with women.
Einar posted 10-29-2008 08:48 PM ET (US)     Profile for Einar  Send Email to Einar     
The Repo Man.

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